Part Fifty-Two
Iam rushed through the hospital doors, spotting Xander almost immediately. “Where is he? Is Oz alright?! Tell me!”
“I-I don’t know, Iam.” Xander backed away from Iam, who was wild-eyed and kind of scary-looking right then. “They won’t tell me anything. All I know is they were hit by a car and slammed into the Kum & Go.”
A harried looking doctor came over to the group just then. “Are you here for Corey Morgan and Daniel Osborne?”
“Yeah,” said Xander shakily. “What’s going on? Are they okay?”
The doctor sighed. This was the worst part of his job. “No, son, I’m sorry. Neither survived the impact.”
Vincent sat in his study, contemplating the phone call he’d just received. Finally, he stood and made his way to Jesse and Lindsey’s room. Knocking on the door, he asked, “Jesse? Could I speak with you a moment?”
“Yeah,” came the muffled reply. “Give me a second, kay?”
“Of course.”
Jesse stepped out the door a moment later, dressed in a pair of boxers and a tee-shirt. “What’d you need?”
“Just to let you know you don’t need to worry about Corey anymore.”
“Why?”
“Seems there was an accident earlier. And Corey didn’t make it.”
“Oh, well, that’s too bad.” Jesse shrugged, then grinned, “At least I don’t have to worry about how to get him here now.”
“What about the driver?” asked Giles.
“She’s in stable condition right now. I’m afraid I can’t tell you any more than that.”
Caid tugged Xander into a different part of the lobby. “Hey, you going to be okay?”
Xander stared at Caid for a moment, “I don’t know. Why did this have to happen? It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t overreacted and left, Corey would still be alive!”
“Hey, you can’t know that, man.”
“You just don’t understand,” muttered Xander miserably.
“So try me,” Caid said sympathetically. “My older brother died a couple years ago and I had a bad time of it. Maybe I can help.”
“He was your brother. That’s different.”
Caid grinned sheepishly, “Well, actually, it’s kinda not. I was involved with him for a while.”
“You… slept with your brother?”
“Does it bother you?”
“I’m not sure.” Xander slumped into a chair, with Caid taking the seat next to him. “I told you earlier that he confessed some stuff that freaked me out. Well, it turns out he’s Iam’s half-brother,” Xander nodded toward the bleached blond who was sobbing on Giles’ shoulder. “And, this sounds kinda stupid, but his dad made him come here to keep me away from Iam. But he also said that he told his dad to shove it and broke ties with him.”
“That’s harsh, man,” said Caid, wrapping an arm around Xander’s shoulders.
“I didn’t know what to do. If Vincent had never sent Corey, I wouldn’t be here right now. But, then I never would have met Corey.” Xander looked up at Caid with tears in his eyes.
Caid gripped Xander’s shoulder, almost to the point of pain. “What did you say Corey’s dad’s name was?”
“Vincent. Vincent Cambridge. Why?”
Caid sighed angrily and released Xander’s shoulder. “Because that’s the bastard that killed my brother and ruined another one.”
“Oh, Miss Edith,” sighed Dru happily. “Listen to the stars sing. What interesting things they tell. Everything falls into place so prettily.” She paused, listening to the doll. “Yes, the evil crushed the light in one, but not the other. And that’s going to make him save his precious and damn him at the same time. And the kitty sings a sad song, but the other will help for a little bit. Even though his heart holds nothing but revenge for the stardust spread through time. Ashes fly and too-light white holds in the pain, and I don’t think he’ll spill until he dances on the sharp edge of a blade. Dripping blood so pretty. Red stars fall from the sky like raindrops.”